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Tragedy struck around noon on Saturday, Feb. 5 when Jill Hickman Victor, a 58-year old Nassau Bay resident, fell a fatal 35 feet from the mast of the historic tall ship Elissa in Galveston Bay.
Victor had been working as a part-time employee at the Texas Seaport Museum. The museum and Elissa are both operated by the Galveston Historical Foundation. The Foundation also offers its volunteers training classes to sail the antique ship. The training has been described as extensive, and volunteers must complete various tests before they're allowed to climb the mast, according to the foundation's executive director, Dwayne Jones, Victor had passed them all. Victor had been training since August and she was set to sail in April.
Victor's death is being ruled as an accident. When people climb masts, they wear a safety harness that secures them to two safety lines. Chief Kenneth Brown explained that there are two points of contact on the harness and users will have at least one connected while climbing. Victor was wearing her harness when she fell.
"We're not sure exactly what happened that she wasn't double-clipped in. When she went to move from one location to another, she apparently slipped and fell,” Brown said.
Police have found no evidence of equipment failure. The Coast Guard is launching an investigation that could take up to six months. The Galveston Historical Foundation will be conducting its own internal review.
The foundation has released a statement regarding the tragedy.
"Galveston Historical Foundation (GHF) board, staff and the volunteer crew of ELISSA are saddened at the loss of a fellow volunteer and staff member," the statement reads. "We extend our condolences to the crew member’s family and friends."
One such friend is Susie, who said that Victor died doing what she loved — volunteering on Elissa.
"She absolutely loved it and loved that crew. I know they’re going to miss her dearly," Susie said. She thanked the crew for helping her friend fulfill her dream.
This is the first recorded incident aboard the Galveston.
Elissa was built in 1877 and brought to Galveston in 1978 from a scrapyard in Greece. Today, it is one of the only three ships of its kind that regularly sails. In 1990, it was designated a National Historic Landmark.